Lenox Library

The Lenox Library was a free public reference library which grew out of the private book collection of James Lenox (1800-1880).

A lifelong bachelor of Scottish Presbyterian descent, Lenox inherited a large fortune from his father's commercial import business augmented by astute real estate investments. In 1840 Lenox retired from business to devote himself to his book and art collections. In 1870 the Library's act of incorporation was passed, a nine member board of trustees chosen, and plans were begun for a building to house the collections currently held in Lenox's home. The architect selected was Richard Morris Hunt and the site (donated by Lenox) was on Fifth Avenue between 70th and 71st Streets in Manhattan.

In 1872 Lenox's friend and fellow bibliophile, George Henry Moore, became the Lenox Library's first Superintendent while also serving on the Board of Trustees. In 1885 Wilberforce Eames came to work for Moore as a private assistant. In 1892 Eames became Assistant Librarian, replacing S.A. Allibone, who retired. Eames went on to become an important bibliographer.

After the death of James Lenox in 1880, the Library continued to expand its holdings, mainly through gift and bequest. The Library dropped its admission ticket policy in 1887 in an attempt to make its collections more accessible to scholars. While these and other policy changes improved its public image somewhat, the trustees were growing increasingly concerned about their long-term financial viability. When in the spring of 1894, the Astor Library trustees began merger talks with the Tilden Trust, the Lenox trustees joined the discussions. The consolidation of the three in 1895 formed a new corporation: The New York Public Library.

The Lenox Library was a free public reference library which grew out of the private book collection of James Lenox (1800-1880).

A lifelong bachelor of Scottish Presbyterian descent, Lenox inherited a large fortune from his father's commercial import business augmented by astute real estate investments. In 1840 Lenox retired from business to devote himself to his book and art collections. In 1870 the Library's act of incorporation was passed, a nine member board of trustees chosen, and plans were begun for a building to house the collections held up to that time in Lenox's home. The architect selected was Richard Morris Hunt and the site (donated by Lenox) was on Fifth Avenue between 70th and 71st Streets in Manhattan.

In 1872 Lenox's friend and fellow bibliophile, George Henry Moore, became the Lenox Library's first Superintendent while also serving on the Board of Trustees. In 1885 Wilberforce Eames came to work for Moore as a private assistant. In 1892 Eames became Assistant Librarian, replacing S.A. Allibone, who retired. Eames went on to become an important bibliographer.

After the death of James Lenox in 1880, the Library continued to expand its holdings, mainly through gift and bequest. The Library dropped its admission ticket policy in 1887 in an attempt to make its collections more accessible to scholars. While these and other policy changes improved its public image somewhat, the trustees were growing increasingly concerned about their long-term financial viability. In the spring of 1894 the Astor Library trustees began merger talks with the Tilden Trust, and the Lenox trustees joined the discussions. The consolidation of the three in 1895 formed a new corporation, The New York Public Library.

The Lenox Library grew out of the private book collection of James Lenox (1800-1880). Lenox, a lifelong bachelor of Scottish Presbyterian descent, inherited a large fortune from his father's commercial import business augmented by astute real estate investments. In 1840 Lenox retired from business to oversee his investments and devote himself to his true passions: bibliography and his book and art collections. With a genuine sense of philanthropic spirit Lenox decided to create a "public" library. In 1870 the act of incorporation was passed, a nine member board of trustees chosen, and plans were begun for a library building to house the collections held in Lenox's home. The architect selected was Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895) and the site (given by Lenox) was Fifth Avenue between 70th and 71st streets in Manhattan. Construction continued for seven years until the first public exhibition was held in 1877.

In 1872 Lenox's friend and fellow bibliophile, George Henry Moore (1823-1892), formerly librarian of the New York Historical Society, became the Lenox Library's first Superintendent while also serving as a member of the board of trustees. An Americana specialist and noted bibliographer, Moore was responsible for the publication of short title lists and the Lenox catalog: Contributions to a Catalogue of the Lenox Library of which there were six volumes. Moore also was directly involved with almost every aspect of the operations of the Library, from annual reports to individual admission tickets.

In 1885 Wilberforce Eames (1855-1937) came to work for Moore as a private assistant. In 1892 Eames became assistant librarian, replacing the current librarian, S.A. Alibone, who retired. Eames, with little formal schooling, taught himself several languages and had become a highly accomplished bibliographer. After Lenox and Moore, Eames was the third dominant force in the history of the Lenox Library.

While both free and open to the public, the Lenox Library required the public to apply by mail for nontransferable admission tickets which were then returned to the applicant by mail and had to be presented to gain admission to the galleries. No one was admitted without a ticket. This policy, along with the fact that not only was the library non-circulating, but that most of its holdings were for display purposes only, led to a great deal of public antipathy towards the library. Especially in the press, the Lenox was regularly vilified as elitist and unwelcoming. For their part, the Lenox trustees had based their admission policy on the British Museum's system and given the rarity of their holdings saw nothing wrong with it. Perhaps part of the problem arose from the general perception that the term "Free Public Library" meant different things to different people. According to Charles Ammi Cutter, "Every librarian knows that the Lenox Museum as it should have been called, was not intended to be a free circulating library for the poor of New York, nor even a library of reference for the literary man anxious to throw off a magazine article...in the quickest possible time... One might as well complain that the Zoological Museum does not give up its stuffed birds to furnish Christmas dinners to the poor."

After the death of James Lenox in 1880, the Library continued to expand its holdings, mainly through gift and bequest. The library dropped its admission ticket policy in 1887 and made its book collections more accessible to scholars. While these and other liberalisms improved its public image somewhat, the trustees were growing increasingly concerned about their long-term financial viability. When, in the Spring of 1894, the Astor Library trustees began merger talks with the Tilden Trust, the Lenox trustees joined the discussions. The consolidation of the three in 1895 formed a new corporation: The New York Public Library.